Your Take: A pro-life approach that’s more than just outlawing abortion

“The pro-life movement should create a society in which it is easier to choose life,” Terence Sweeney wrote in America on Oct. 30, a few days before the 2024 election. He argued for a pro-life approach that goes beyond simply outlawing abortion and appealed to Catholic social teaching, calling for more robust governmental support for families and mothers: “Abortion should never feel required if a society truly acts like women and babies matter…. Our laws and social policies should not only restrain people from abortion but should lead people to choose life. Focusing on the latter will make the former possible.” America’s readers weighed in with a series of thoughtful comments. 

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One proactive approach would be for parishes to create child care programs with “sliding scale” costs, so that mothers could return to work when ready, knowing their children were in a safe place. If not affordable for one parish, two to three (or as many as necessary) could fund the facility. The Knights of Columbus could be champion fundraisers. Carrots are often better than sticks in attaining desired goals.

Tim Gust

It’s easy. Huge tax breaks for companies that double the salaries of pregnant women who give birth and for working mothers.

Andrea Campana

Asking God to fix something that we haven’t been able to fix ourselves—for instance, “grant us peace”—is rarely, if ever, accompanied by a suggested methodology intended to help God to get started on the assignment. In fact, to do so would be irrational. But asking a state legislature to fix something—for instance, “grant us an end to abortion”—without proposing a model statute, vetted and coordinated with all the affected and interested, seems equally irrational.

Charles Erlinger

Pro-life groups and the Catholic Church should have started with the demand side of abortion, not the legal side. Starting with the legal side led to more polarization. I suggested to my bishop at the time that we have meetings together with pro-choice groups to work on the demand side. He said that was a nice idea. I asked my pastor if we could put in the bulletin every week: “Are you pregnant and need help with rent or utilities? We will help you.” He said we couldn’t afford it. 

The pro-life groups should start working with the social justice groups. Why do some dioceses have these as separate offices? Why can’t we get the pro-life people to come to a meeting on the environment or the death penalty? In return, the social justice people need to figure out how to collaborate with the pro-life people. Working on helping women would be wonderful.

Rose Tresp

People of life scored a big victory with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. People of good will rejoice that killing children is being limited for the first time in 50 years. To expect a sea change in public opinion overnight is wishful thinking. When slavery was abolished in 1865, it took over 100 years to bring about true equality. The same is true in war-torn countries, which often take a generation to recover from post-traumatic stress disorder

The pro-life movement is adjusting to a brand-new reality: Life is finally being protected in many states (sadly, not all). There is a lot of work to do—a re-orientation of pro-life efforts. People should remember that in ballot initiatives, there is usually a 3-to-1 outspending by the pro-abortion side versus the pro-life side. Money makes all the difference in politics. Give this issue some time, and people will come around. In fact, most Americans are already against abortion after viability, including late-term abortions.

Nick McCauley

Dignifying abortion as a right in law is the final rejection of Catholic teaching on human sexuality. Poverty has always been with us. Choosing solutions outside of God’s plan for human flourishing cannot lead to a better world.

Maureen O’Riordan Lundy

I am 68 and grew up in Detroit. I remember when my state representative, state senator and congressional representative were all pro-life Democrats who were also staunchly pro-civil rights, pro-labor and favored more aid to the poor. Roughly a third of all Democrats in Congress were pro-life at that time. There is nothing intrinsic to the idea that one has to choose between caring for vulnerable human life before birth or after birth. Our current political situation is the result of cold political manipulation.

Allan Ranusch

This article appears in February 2025.